As part of the ECB Association of Cricket Officials (ECB ACO) training structure, West Surrey ACU&S will be running courses for both new and part-qualified umpires during 2009-2010.
New Umpires
For groups interested in learning a little more about umpiring and dipping their toes in the water, we offer a 2.5 hour one-evening ECB ACO Introduction to Umpiring Course, organised whenever requested, that deals with Laws such as No Ball, LBW and others as suits the audience. See below for more details.
For individuals wishing to take the first step on the qualification ladder and learning the Laws in more detail, we will be running the ECB ACO Level 1 Umpires' Course from January 2010. It is not necessary to have attended an Introduction course to take Level 1. See below for more details.
Part-Qualified Umpires
For those who have passed ECB ACO Level 1 Umpiring, we will be running an unexamined Intermediate Course which will enhance the knowledge gained at that first stage and pave the way for success at Level 2 (which is conducted at a regional level). This course is a pilot that West Surrey ACU&S has been asked by ECB ACO to carry out, with a view to formalizing it as part of the overall qualification process in future years.
Importantly, a significant part of the Intermediate Course will deal with fieldcraft and man-management issues, essential skills for an umpire when actually officiating in a match. In this we are working closely with the Surrey Championship, who are recognising this Course and will gladly accept any umpire improving their expertise in this way onto their Umpires Panel, subject to field experience.
New scorers
For those wishing to learn how to score cricket matches, we will be running the ECB ACO Level 1 Scorers' Course from March 2010. Suitable for all, this course addresses the basic score book entry information required by any scorer. The primary objective is that all participants will gain an understanding of the relevant Laws of Cricket (2003) and how their application determines what should be recorded in the score book. See below for more details.
Although the classroom-based course is much preferred, the Level 1 Scorers' course is also available for study by correspondence. If you would like more information, please contact ECB ACO directly by email at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk or by calling 020 7432 1240.
ECB ACO Membership
West Surrey ACU&S is independent of, but affiliated to, ECB ACO. While our students are automatically members of West Surrey ACU&S (free of additional charge), please note that this does not automatically make them members of ECB ACO.
We do recommend that students take out membership of ECB ACO as well. Members are fully insured while travelling to and from, and officiating in, cricket matches and also their examination fees are waived (£10 otherwise for Level 1 Umpire), so the benefits are well worth having. Full details of the benefits of ECB ACO membership are detailed on their website, at http://www.ecb.co.uk/ecb/ecb-association-of-cricket-officials.
General Notes
For any course shown below, students will need to attend weekly presentations on the dates and at the times and venues shown. We regret that we cannot accept applications from anyone unable to travel to Woking, and we do not offer correspondence courses ourselves.
If you would like more information on any of the courses below, or advice as to which course would best suit you, please contact the Training Officer by telephone or e-mail - details for the current Training Officer can be found on the Contacts page of this website. |